Animated jumping toy



April 23, 1963 J. ZIMMERMAN 3,378,947

ANIMATED JUMPING TOY Filed Sept. 23, 1965 I N VE N TOR dAck Zmnaqmw United States Patent 3,378,947 ANIMATED JUMPING TOY Jack Zimmerman, Roaring Brook Lake, Putnam Valley, N.Y. 10579 Filed Sept. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 489,486 3 Claims. (Cl. 46-129) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An animated toy comprising a substantially fiat sheet with an apertured portion therein and a resilient flap which can be bent and inserted into the apertured portion, whereby due to its resiliency the flap will yieldably slide out of the apertured portion and spring into its normal unstrained position.

This invention relates to toys, and is particularly directed to jumping toy figures.

It is an object of my invention to provide a toy device, preferably in the form of a human or animal figure, which can be readily and easily manipulated so as to enable the figure, after being placed upon a suitable support, to suddenly spring upwardly. And in this aspect of my invention it is a further object to enable the above delayed jumping action to be accomplished by a one-piece device and without the use of any springs or outside props.

It is another object of this invention to employ an integral component of the said figure both as an actuating element for effecting the jumping action and as an animated member of the figure movable relative to the figures body during the period just prior to the jumping action.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of the above-described character wherein the said actuating element is operative in a snap action, and wherein the body of the device is of such configuration and of such light weight that the said snap action imparts a partial somersault jumping movement to the figure.

And it is my further objective to provide an easily fabricated and inexpensive device having the features above described.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the drawings and the description hereinafter given.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a toy figure according to one form of my invention shown in an inoperative position.

FiG. 2 is a longitudinal section of FIG. 1 taken along line 22, the dot-dash lines showing the actuating ele ment in an extreme operative position and extending forwardly through the mouth of the figure in the form of a tongue.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section of the figure shown in operative position on a flat surface, the section being substantially like that of FIG. 2 with the tongue portion of the actuating element in a forwardly protruding position.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view like FIG. 3, but showing the actuating element in a partly retracted position.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the toy figure of FIGURES 3 to 5 after the actuating element has snapped out of engagement with the apertured mouth portion of the body of the figure, the view showing the terminal of the actuating element just as it strikes the fiat supporting surface.

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of said figure after it has rebounded from the fiat supporting surface, the broken lines depicting a further position of the figure after moving through a partial somersault.

The form of my invention illustrated comprises a substantially flat sheet having a body member in the shape of a human head and a downwardly extending elongated flap or tongue which constitutes the aforesaid actuating element. The head has moulded portions representing facial features and an apertured portion representing the mouth. The entire figure is made of light, semi-soft, resilient and preferably plastic material, the material being of such elastic properties that when the elongated actuating element is bent backwardly and upwardly, it will be yieldably strained, so that when released it will snap back to its original unstrained position. The actuating element is proportioned so that the free end thereof can be inserted through the apertured mouth, it being preferred, for optimum effectiveness, that the engaging surfaces of the actuating element and the apertured mouth portion be smooth. The arranged is hence such that said actuating element can be operatively manipulated by bending it back and inserting the free end through the mouth aperture from which it will protrude in the form of a tongue. When the device is then placed upon a supporting surface and the actuating element released, it will gradually slip out of the apertured mouth in a rearwardly direction due to the materials elasticity, producing the etfect of an animated tongue being drawn inwardly. During the rearward movement of said actuating member, the outside arcuate portion thereof will progressively increase in height, causing the figure to slowly rise upwardly. When the actuating tongue element finally becomes disengaged from the head and is no longer restrained by the walls of the mouth, it will suddenly snap back, the terminal of the flap element striking the supporting surface, causing the entire figure, because of its lightness, to rebound upwardly. Since the actuating element is situated at one end of the figure, that end will spring up first, the opposite end of the figure remaining at'a lower level, whereby a partial somersault or flip-flop is effected.

More specifically, the illustrated embodiment of my invention consists of a thin, fiat sheet 10 of flexible, semistitf and resilient plastic material, said sheet having a head portion 11 and a downwardly extending flap 12 constituting the actuating element of this device. Said head portion is molded to represent a face with eyes 13, nose 14 and an apertured portion 15 suggesting a month, said head portion being provided with the representation of a hat 16 positioned opposite said flap 12. The said apertured portion 15 constitutes a through passageway, and in the preferred form, is defined by an outwardly flared annular wall 17. The said flap 12 is preferably relatively wide in the region of its resilient juncture portion 18 joining the head portion 11, the lower free terminal portion 19 being sufiiciently narrow to enable it to be slidably inserted through said apertured portion 15, said flap being of such length that when bent back, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, it could be inserted through said apertured portion 15 with the free terminal portion 19 extending forwardly therethrough, thereby giving the impression of a face with a stuck-out tongue (see FIG. 4). It is preferred that the surfaces of the said flap 12 and said annular wall 17 of the mouth aperture 15 be smooth, so as to permit said flap to be in slidable engagement with the wall defining the mouth, in the manner hereinbelow described.

In operating this onepiece device as an animated toy, the flap 12 is bent back at its said juncture portion 18 and then upwardly, the free portion 19 being inserted through aperture 15 and pushed forwardly to the broken line position illustrated in FIG. 2. In this position the section 12a of the flap between the juncture portion 18 and the apertured portion 15 is of substantially arcuate configuration. The device is then placed upon a supporting surface 20, as shown in FIG. 3. As aforesaid, the material of this unit is resilient and of such elastic properties that the flap will tend to straighten itself out from its curved strained condition of FIG. 3-the relatively wide juncture portion 18 being effective in providing an ample force for returning the relatively narrow and light flap to its original unstrained condition. It will be noted that since the flap 12 bends at juncture 18 (FIG. 3), portion 19 of the flap will be in yieldable engagement with section 17a of the annular wall 17, this section being farthest removed from said juncture, the flap extering a pressure against said annular wall 17 in the direction of arrow A, a component of the force being rearwardly of the figure. Because of the outwardly flared inclination of the said annular wall 17, the flap is in engagement with the full adjacent wall section 17a (rather than with a shap edge thereof); and because of the aforesaid smoothness of the flap and said annular wall, the said terminal portion 19 of the flap will slip along said wall in a rearward direction, giving the impression of the tongue being pulled in (see FIGS. 5 and 6). During such movement the said arcuate section 12a, in tangential engagement with surface 20, becomes progressively higher, so that the entire figure correspondingly rises from the position of FIG. 3 to that of FIG. 5. It will be noted that the yieldable action of the juncture portion 18 on the flap 12 continues throughout the engagement of the fiap with the apertured portion-even while the tip 21 of the flap is Within the apertured portion, inasmuch as said latter portion and the juncture portion are substantially in the same plane. When the fiap finally becomes disengaged from the said annular Wall, it will snap back to the position shown in FIG. 7, the tip 21 moving in the direction of the arrow B until it strikes the surface 20. This will cause the relatively light device to rebound upwardly, in the general direction of the arrow C (FIG 8).

Inasmuch as the force of reaction occurs at a regional point remote from the medial portion of the body, to wit, at the bottom thereof, the propelling action is applied directly to said bottom portion-in the region of said juncture portion 18whereby that portion will move upwardly first, the top 16 of the device lagging behind, resulting in a flip-flop or partial somersault in the direction of arrow D, as indicated by the broken-line position of the device in FIG. 8.

The simple, unitary and extremely inexpensive device above described is thus capable of providing amusement not only because of the delayed jumping action, but also because of the animated action of the actuating element 12the tongue in the embodiment illustrated. It is of course understood that embodiments in the form of other figures, such as frogs, monkeys etc., may be employed substantially in the manner of the human figure herein employed as an example.

In the above description, the invention has been disclosed merely by way of example and in preferred mannet; but obviously many variations and modifications may be made therein. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any form or manner of practicing same, except insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An animated toy comprising a substantially fiat sheet of semi-stiff resilient material having a body portion with an apertured portion therein and integral self animating means adapted to cause a jumping animation of said toy upon disengagement from a predetermined operative position, said self animating means comprising an integral resilient flap portion being yieldably bendable from a normal unstrained position to a predetermined operative strained position with the terminal portion thereof extending through and in slidable engagement with said apertured portion, said flap portion and said sheet in said unstrained position presenting a continuous cross sectional area essentially free of a fold line at the juncture of said body portion and said flap portion, said flap portion being of substantially arcuate configuration when in said operative position, whereby when said flap portion is in said operative position it will be slidably retracted and disengaged from said apertured portion under the yieldable action of its resilient force and will sprling into its said normal unstrained position causing said toy to jump.

2. An animated toy according to claim 1, said flap portion having a substantially arcuate portion when it is in its said operative position in engagement with said apertured portion, whereby said toy can be placed upon a suitable supporting surface with said arcuate portion in tangential relation to said surface so that upon the said operative disengagement of said fiap portion from said apertured portion it will strike said surface with impact to cause an upward catapulting of the toy.

3. An animated toy according to claim 1, said body portion being of a configuration suggesting a selected living being, said apertured portion being of the configuration of a mouth, and the terminal portion of said flap portion being of the configuration of a tongue.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 569,475 10/1896 Roescher 46-135 722,207 3/1903 Chafee 46-135 850,150 4/1907 Glazier 46-36 899,866 9/1908 Hellstrorn 46-129 997,063 7/1911 Hordich 46-135 1,167,405 1/1916 Holmberg 46-129 2,817,925 12/1957 Kelley 46-129 2,885,824 5/1959 Lemelson 46-129 XR LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

S. NATTER, Assistant Examiner. 

